Cherokee Descendants Keep Traditional Skills Alive

The skills the survivors of the Trail of Tears used is a part of the tribe's heritage that members of the Florida Cherokee Wolf Clan wants remembered.

By CLIFFORD PARODYTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | Almost 200 years ago, groups of Cherokee Indians had their homes taken away after gold was discovered on their land in Georgia. Thousands lost their lives on the infamous Trail of Tears.The skills the survivors used is a part of the tribe's heritage that members of the Florida Cherokee Wolf Clan wants remembered. An offshoot of the nationwide Overhill Nation of Cherokee Descendants, the 20 members gather at their Kathleen headquarters the first Saturday of every month.Wild Red Star, whose given name is Michelle Branch, was chosen to lead the clan in 2005 by Chief Man Many Trees, who oversees approximately 2,000 members in the Overhill Nation."Chief Man Many Trees came to me and said, ‘I want you to be chief of this clan,'?" said Branch, whose father is three-quarters Cherokee. "I was like, ‘I'm a woman. Can I even do that?' "Branch was told that Cherokee women were often given positions of power, and many clans were run as matriarchies. She accepted the position."This is a way of life," Branch, said. "It's spiritual, and it's survival. It's about being able to make it if you are thrown into the wild with nothing."Branch's husband, Strong Bear, whose given name is Robert Branch, holds the Head Elder position in the clan. He says that TV and movies have led people to believe that the worship practices of Native Americans revolve around strange rituals or some kind of magic.Far from these stereotypes, the Wolf Clan focuses on getting back to nature, rejecting many of modern life's trappings, and learning to live off the land. This, they say, brings them closer to their creator, God."We don't worship the winds and trees or anything. In order to be a member you have to believe in the Christ," Robert Branch said. "All the tribes believed in a creator. There's a lot of witchy type stuff out there, but we're not into any of that."In order to maintain a spiritual connection to their creator, the clan utilizes traditional ceremonies, complete with music and dance, and they also go on spirit quests. David Coco, 29, is a warrior in the clan and also plays drums during ceremonies."As I am drumming it gives me a feeling of the ancestry; it feels like I am communicating with the past," said Coco, who goes by Bear Hawk. "It's like a religious thing, like when you're in church singing with everybody. It's similar to that.""We try to do the things our ancestors did," Head Warrior Grey Eagle said.Grey Eagle, whose given name is Gary Thornton, said he made everything he was wearing, including his elk-skin shoes."We encourage everyone to make their own regalia," Thornton, of Davenport, said. "What I've got on is what the traditional Cherokee would have worn after they started trading with the English."On top of making its own clothing, the Wolf Clan also trains in a plethora of survival and lifestyle practices, including hunting, fishing, archery, raising animals, and growing and foraging edible plants."We're traditional, but we're not locked into any kind of format," Thornton said."We're spontaneous-traditional," Robert Branch added, smiling.One of the group's favorite activities is camping trips, but its idea of camping is very basic."When we go camping we take nothing but a song and a prayer," Michelle Branch said. "If you don't catch anything, you don't eat," her husband added.It's these types of survival-oriented skillsets the group most wants to propagate."Look at what is happening up in New York right now," Robert Branch said. "If we were to lose power for 30 days it would be a very scary thing for most people. We will be prepared for that."The younger members of the clan also work toward the same goals of self and clan-reliance.Brad Mitchell, 18, is legally blind and is known in the clan as Running Fox. Mitchell, who attends the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, is encouraged by the group to take part in all its activities."Last time I beat everybody at archery," Mitchell said. "It felt so good."The Branches' daughter, Rachel Branch, is also actively involved in the tribe, playing flute during ceremonies and being groomed as the clan's medicine woman."It's a spiritual thing for me," said Rachel Branch, who goes by Spirit Wolf. "It's about family, and getting to know the roots of your ancestors and understanding how they lived."Family, it seems, is the most important aspect of the Wolf Clan. The wolf, members say, symbolizes family. Wolves mate for life, nurturing and fiercely protecting their young. "Family was always really important to the Cherokee," Thornton said. "It's not just a group; it's a family unit," Michelle Branch said. "If one member of the family has a problem, we all help out; we all pray about it."Everybody serves a purpose, and I wouldn't trade my clan for anything."For more information on the Florida Cherokee Wolf Clan, visit their website at www.fl-wolf-clan.org.

[ Clifford Parody can be reached at clifford.parody@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]